ᐅ Building Back from Urban Migration to the Countryside: Home, City, or Rural Property

Dear Forum,

I have registered here and hope this is the right place for my question. I searched for a suitable platform for a long time, and this forum seemed the most fitting. I would like to share my situation and would appreciate as much feedback as possible:

My wife and I have been living in Frankfurt am Main for four years. We were both born nearby, about 60 to 70 kilometers (37 to 43 miles) outside of Frankfurt in a rural area. We both grew up there, and until finishing high school, it was never in question that we would one day build a house with a garden in our hometown (we both come from the same place). After high school (we were not yet a couple at that time), we both went out into the wider world. My wife studied in Cologne and Bonn, with semesters abroad in Rome, and I studied in Freiburg and Munich. After completing my doctorate in Berlin, I lived in Australia for a year. Now, we both live and work in Frankfurt am Main. We are both civil servants. My wife is paid according to grade A16, and I am at B3. Our financial situation is therefore quite comfortable. Our workplaces are conveniently located. My wife can walk to work, and I can get there quickly by public transportation. Our living situation is good as well. We have been living for four years in a large apartment (120m2 / 1,292 sq ft), which, however, also comes with a correspondingly high rent (basic rent about 2,200 euros). The apartment is spacious, but its layout means that while we can live here for two or three more years with our one-year-old child, eventually our child will need a "proper" separate room. I won’t go into more detail, but the fact is that we will need to move in two or three years.

Two years ago, we became owners of a plot of land in our hometown. It belonged to my wife’s grandparents, who bequeathed it to us. The plot is a dream: 900m2 (about 9,688 sq ft), located on the edge of a forest, with an unobstructed view of the valley, situated in a quiet dead-end street. It really doesn’t get better than that. Our hometown has about 11,000 inhabitants.

We have been constantly wondering if we should build there. Money is not a problem. We are torn. Our commute would be longer. The town has its own train station with connections to Frankfurt am Main. The train runs hourly. The travel time from the station to my workplace would be 55 minutes, for my wife 62 minutes. We both have free public transit passes. The station can be reached by bike from our plot in five minutes. Commuting would be quite an adjustment for both of us, but I think this is something we could get used to.

One concern is that since finishing high school – which was quite some time ago – we have not lived in our hometown. We visit our parents regularly, and many acquaintances have moved back after studying elsewhere. Life there is completely different from that in a big city. We are both worried about “shrinking” into the small-town life. You also don’t have the anonymity of a big city. On the other hand, for 2,200 euros, you could build a nice house there.

So we are torn between the old dream of having our own “nest” at home and the worry that, without meaning any offense, we have outgrown the hometown and might no longer fit in there. Also, the commute would be an adjustment. We are therefore wondering what to do with the land? Should we move within Frankfurt or build there? Selling is not an option for now, as we do not need the money. Money in the bank doesn’t do much anyway.

I would be grateful for any input!

Thank you

How old are you all?
There is an age when you still want to live in the hustle and bustle and talk about "going out," but there is also a maturity when you have to make decisions for the future.
However, some people are simply only suited for city life.

Is moving not an option?

A one-hour train ride is obviously not compatible with having children and working part-time [emoji848]

I believe only you can make that decision. I was born and raised in Frankfurt and never liked it there. I never wanted to live there again. For me, there is nothing appealing about life in a big city. However, other people love city life and cannot imagine anything else. In which direction from Frankfurt is your hometown located? How long would you drive by car?

Best regards
Sabine

Hello,

my input: a one-way commute of more than 1 hour is such a significant limitation to quality of life that it is hardly made up for.

Do your jobs offer work-from-home options? Is changing jobs to a closer location possible?

Relocating... try looking for suitable B3 and A16 positions in a community of 11,000 inhabitants.

I wouldn’t do it because of the commuting. One hour one-way is out of the question. You would only be at home to sleep.

With your income, you could buy an apartment within Frankfurt. The plot of land probably isn’t worthless either. Very good time to sell.

I really enjoyed living in the city in my early twenties. Now, with a child, living in the countryside in my hometown is unbeatable. Anything that isn’t available can be delivered the next day by a well-known online retailer.

What do you like about the city and what do you prefer about the countryside? Although 11,000 inhabitants isn’t really that small.

Commuting for an hour would definitely be a dealbreaker for me. That is quality time with my child every day that would be lost. What do you do when the daycare calls to say your child is sick and needs to be picked up?